Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 9:7

"Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?" — 1 Samuel 9:7 (ASV)

What shall we bring? — It might seem strange at first that someone like Samuel should be approached with presents, but the custom of offering gifts was often an act of respectful homage to a superior rather than merely a fee.

Compare, for example, the many detailed accounts of presents offered and accepted, chronicled in the varied sacred records—such as the little present of spices, etc., sent by Jacob to the great minister or vizier of the Pharaoh of Egypt (Genesis 43:11), and the ten cheeses Jesse gave to the captain of the thousand in which his sons were serving, and in the days of Israel's highest civilization and culture, the gifts offered by the Queen of Sheba to the magnificent Solomon (1 Kings 10:10).